Minimising traffic congestion

Ole Lykke

Borsen

14 August 2013

Ole Lykke, PA transport expert, has written an article on the extensive work faced by the Danish Trængselskommissionen (commission working to minimise traffic congestion).

Ole fears that the commission’s initiatives will have only a minimal impact on congestion. According to Ole and Søren, “some of the parties involved in the commission are focusing more on areas other than congestion – such as parking facilities or simply increasing their own profit”.

Ole explains that spending billions of kroner on expanding motorways in order to solve the congestion issue will only provide a brief respite. Instead, the government needs to consider alternative means of transport, and also look into how people can minimise their need for transport overall. “Commuters are the most flexible group as they will save time by commuting by regional trains; however, can they do without cars? […] for many people, comfort and predictability determine their preferred means of transportation,” explains Ole , emphasising that this applies particularly to people commuting locally.

He goes on to discuss improvements that should be made for commuters: “The local authorities need to establish ‘park and ride’ areas close to train stations […], as it should be made possible to ride a bicycle from the train station to the workplace. In short, we need to improve the facilities and the coherence between private and public transport, and not punish people for thinking in a rational way.”

Ole Lykke is transport expert at PA Consulting Group

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